Safety vehicle for passengers

ABSTRACT

A safety vehicle for passengers having a movable passenger compartment which includes life-saving nets or cushions which become disposed in front of the passengers when the passenger compartment detaches itself from the vehicle and assumes its inclined position. The invention also includes release means connected to the front and rear bumpers for actively releasing the passenger compartment upon collision or impact as well as releasing the controls and steering wheel of the vehicle. A rack and pinion combination are also provided for connecting the passenger compartment to the vehicle to assure a parallel detachment of the compartment during a collision.

United States Patent Schlanger [54] SAFETY VEHICLE FOR PASSENGERS [72]Inventor: Samuel L. Schlanger, 110-11 Queens Blvd, Forest Hills, NY.11375 22 Filed: Sept. 28, 1970 21 Appl.No.: 75,984

[52] US. Cl. ..280/150 AB, 280/150 B, 296/35 R, 296/65 A, 296/84 K,180/91 [51] Int. Cl ..B60r 21/06 [58] Field of Search ...280/l50 AB, 150B; 296/84 K, 296/24, 35 R, 65 A; 244/121, 122; 180/91;

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 2,806,737 9/1957 Maxwell..280/150 3,011,823 12/1961 Maher ..280/150 3,037,809 6/1962 Praha..296/84 3,133,746 5/1964 Zazzara ..280/150 3,162,479 12/1964 Hewitt..296/35 [451 Oct. 3, 1972 3,423,121 l/l969 Lipkin ..280/1 50 3,443,8245/ 1969 Dietrich ..296/6S 3,494,633 2/1970 Malloy ..280/ l 50 3,508,7834/1970 Schlanger ..296/35 Primary Examiner-Kenheth H. BettsAttorneyAllison C. Collard [57] ABSTRACT A safety vehicle for passengershaving a movable passenger compartment which includes life-saving netsor cushions which become disposed in front of the passengers when thepassenger compartment detaches itself from the vehicle and assumes itsinclined position. The invention also includes release means connectedto the front and rear bumpers for actively releasing the passengercompartment upon collision or impact as well as releasing the controlsand steering wheel of the vehicle. A rack and pinion combination arealso provided for connecting the passenger compartment to the vehicle toassure a parallel detachment of the compartment during a collision.

11 Claims, 15 Drawing Figures PATENTEII 01:13 1912 SHEEI 1 (IF 4INVENTOR.

SAMUEL L. SCHLANGER ATTORNEY minimum a 1912 SHEET 2 0F 4 It WWW/ a N PMN INVENTOR. SAMUEL L. SCI-ULANGER ATTORNEY P'ATENTEDnma 1912 3,695,629

sum 3 or 4 I INVENTOR, SAMUEL SCHLANGER 143 14/ ATTOR-NEY SAFETY VEHICLEFOR PASSENGERS This invention relates to improvements in vehicles whichprovide a greater safety factor than in conventional automobiles forhead-on and whiplash collisions and the like.

The use of a safety belt or harness has to a great extent preventedpassengers in a moving vehicle from being forcibly thrown through thevehicles windshield during a collision with a fixed or moving object. Inmany of these collisions, there is a sharp' impact due to the suddendeceleration of the vehicle and its occupants. In several conventionaldevices, efforts have been made to cushion the blow by providing aretractable front bumper which trips the seat rearwardly in an almostvertical position upon impact, so that the seat acts as a barrier to theforward travel of the rider.

In another type of a conventional vehicle, the passenger compartment ismounted in a cradle on tracks which are adapted to release the passengercompartment at high speed impacts, allowing the passenger compartment totravel in the direction of movement in the vehicle to reduce thedeceleration forces upon the passenger.

In another conventional safety vehicle, an inflatable cushion isprovided in front of each passenger which is designed to automaticallyinflate upon the high speed impact of the vehicle so as to reduce thepossibilities of a second collision by passengers with the structure ofthe vehicle.

The present invention is an improvement over all of the above-describedconventional devices in providing a passenger compartment which not onlybecomes detached from the vehicle upon impact, but also cushions thepassengers during a second collision following impact. The cushions arepreferably pivotably mounted in the ceiling of the detachablecompartment so that after impact the cushions are automatically disposedin front of the passengers as the compartment moves forward and upward.Further improvements also permit the controls in the passengercompartment to automatically detach from the vehicle.

It is, therefore, an object accordingto the present invention to providean improved safety vehicle having a detachable passenger compartmentwith a passenger cushioning means.

It is another object according to the present invention to provide animproved safety vehicle having a detachable passenger compartment whichis automatically displaced upon impact of the vehicle.

It is still a further object according to the present invention toprovide an improved safety vehicle which is simple in design, economicalin production and reliable in operation.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparentfrom the following detailed description considered in connection withthe accompanying drawings which disclose the embodiments of theinvention. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings aredesigned for the purpose of illustration only and not as a definition ofthe limits of the invention.

In the drawings wherein similar reference characters denote similarelements throughout the several views:

FIG. I is a plan view, partly in cross section of the vehicle accordingto the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along section 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the top of the vehicle including cushioningmeans taken from FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view partly in cross-section of the safety vehicleafter impact;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along section 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along section 6-6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a plan view, partly in schematic form, of the bumper actuatorrelease mechanism of the safety vehicle;

FIG. 8 is a side plan view in detail of the release mechanism of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along section 9-9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 discloses another type of cushioning means for mounting in frontof the passengers;

FIG. 11 is a front plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along section 12-12 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a detail plan view, partly in cross-section, of thereleasable steering mechanism of the invention; and I FIG. 14 is adetailed view of the ventilation connections which are quicklydetachable from the passenger compartment; and

FIG. 15 is a view taken along line 15-15 of FIG. 13.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, there is shown a safety vehicle 10 having afront bumper 1 1, rear bumper 22, and a pair of front wheels 12 and rearwheels 13. Both bumpers 11 and 22 are separated from the body of thevehicle by spaces 111 and 1 12. The passenger compartment of the vehicleincludes a roof 16, a windshield l5 and rear window 21. Pivotablydisposed within the ceiling of the passenger compartment are safety netsor cushions 17 and 18. The rear edge of cushion 17 is pivoted on axle40, and the rear edge of cushion 18 is similarly pivoted on axle 41.Both axles 40 and 41 are trunnioned in bearings 42 which are mounted onthe vertical walls of compartment 100. The front edge of cushion 17 isconnected to a pair of parallel cables 30a and 30b which extenddownwardly along the sidewalls of vehicle 10 around pulleys 31,intermediate pulleys 44 and rear pulleys 45 for connection to springs27. The front edge of cushion 18 is likewise connected to cables 29a and29b which are guided around dual pulleys 44 and 45 for connection tospring 27. The back end of springs 27 are mounted to studs 46 which aresecured to the sidewalls of vehicle 10. A space is provided between therear end of passenger compartment 100 and the front end of the trunkcompartment, for preventing the whiplash of the passengers. This spaceis covered by a flexible gasket 24.

Cushions 17 and 18 are preferably constructed from a resilientshock-absorbing material, such as latex, and include perforations 48disposed over their surfaces to permit the passengers to breathe whenthe cushions are in place. The cushions may also be inflatable-type bags1 17 and 1 18, as shown in broken line, which rapidly inflate when thepassenger compartment moves upward. A transparent viewing plate permitsthe driver in the compartment to view the instruments of the vehiclenormal riding conditions.

Referring to FIGS. 46, there is shown the embodiment of FIG. 1 followinga collision of the vehicle with a wall 200. The bottom portion 190 ofpassenger compartment 100, as shown in detail in FIG. 5, includes awheel 191, and a wheel 123, mounted on each side and adapted to ridealong a corresponding rail 192 secured along chassis of the vehicle.Passenger compartment 100 rides up on wheel 191 and rail 192 on eachside of the vehicle chassis to its position shown in FIG. 4, so thatsteering wheel 14 and its associated controls become released from panel85 connected to lever 37. Lever 37 is connected to control lever 36which is responsive to the impact of the vehicle from either direction.In FIGS. 4 and 6, there is also shown a pair of parallel, movable racks26, slidably disposed in corresponding channels 53 which are mounted oneach side of the trunk compartment of the vehicle. Pinion gears 50 aremounted on each end of connecting shaft 51, and engage racks 26.Bearings 52, mounted adjacent to the ends of the shaft 51, pivotablysupport shaft 52. Bearings 52 are mounted to surface 23 in the trunkcompartment. Block 25supports channel 53 to trunk surface 23. The end ofeach rack 26 is connected by means of pin 303 to the rear end ofpassenger compartment 100 to allow the passenger compartment to travelforward and upward in a parallel manner. The broken-line portion of FIG.4 indicates the full extent of travel of passenger compartment 100.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9, front bumper 11 is divided intotwo portions Ila and 11b, which are connected through shafts 62 tohammers 63. Bearings 61 guide shafts 62 for impact against hammer plate64. Springs 60 pretension bumper portions 11a and 11b so that thebumpers are initially spring-loaded for minor impact. When hammers 63impact against plate 64, lever 36, connected on one end of plate 64, ispushed rearward through bearing 66. The movement of lever 36 causeslever 37 to release control plate 85 as described with reference to FIG.13. The bottom of the passenger compartment includes a block 33 forengagement against arm 35 which is pinned by pin 34 on lever 36, andpivoted at axis 302. At impact, the movement of lever 36 causes arm 35to engage blocks 33, on both sides of the passenger compartment, to movethe compartment forward and upward.

Rear bumper 22 is divided into two portions 22a and 22b which, in amanner similar to the front bumpers, include tension springs 70 andbearings 71 to springload the bumpers against minor impact Each bumperportion 22a and 22b is connected through levers 72 to hammers73 whichare capable of impacting against hammer plate 74. Hammer plate 74 isconnected to the other end of lever 36 so that lever 36 is capableofsliding through bearings 66 and 69 to also effect the release of controllever 37. As shown in detail in FIG. 8, hammer plate 74 is a verticalplate pivotably mounted along its center portion on pivot'77 andconnected at the opposite end to lever 36 by means of pin 75. Thus,lever 36 will also be pushed rearward upon impact of bumpers 22disconnecting all control. Link 79 connects link 78 to link 38, pivotedat axis 76. Link 38 exerts pressure against springloaded block 33pivoted at axis 201. At rear impact hammer 73, link 78 moves in thedirection of the arrow shown, upon high impact of the rear bumper. Thispulls link 38 in an opposite direction through pivoted link 79 away fromblock 33, and allows spring 133 to swing block 33 clear of arm 35. A

FIGS. 10, 11, and 12 show another embodiment of the invention, wherein asafety net 80, which may be used in place of safety net 17, is coiled ona springloaded roller 82 mounted on roof 16 of the vehicle. Net 80 isparticularly useful for aircraft. When a collision is about to occur,safety net 80 is manually pulled through opening 291 past cover 292 forconnection to arm rest 93 of seat 19. Roller 82 is pivotably mounted bymeans of bearings 81 to the roof of the vehicle and may be recessed in ahousing 83 as shown in detail in FIG. 10. On each side of the lower endof net 80 is connected a bolt 94. The ends of bolts 94 are enlarged bymeans of balls 141, which are adapted to pass through cylindricalopenings near the ends of the arm rests. On the bottom surface of eacharm rest 93, there is secured a channel 142 for slidably receiving acatch 143. Catch 143 includes a V-shaped notch or opening so that whenit is fully inserted in channel 142, it engages and locks against shaft94 to prevent ball 141 and the shaft from being removed from arm rest93. The bottom end of safety net 80 connects by means of bolts 94 to armrest 93.

Referring to FIG. 13, there is shown a detailed view of the connectionof steering column 1 14 to the release mechanism connected to lever 36.Steering wheel 14 is connected through shaft 97 to a telescoping squarecollar 88. The end of shaft 97 preferably includes a square surfacewhich is mechanically coupled to a corresponding sliding surface intubular collar 88. Likewise, square shaft 89 is also mechanicallyengaged to telescoping square collar 88 and includes a compressionspring 38 mounted between flanges 86 and 98 to urge collar 88 toward thefront of the vehicle away from steering shaft 97. A ratchet catch 87,engaged through an opening in collar 88, and locks collar 88 by theaction of spring 38. Flange 86 is restrained on shaft 89 by means of pin99. As a collision occurs, lever 36 moves in the direction of arrow 400,causing arm 37 to pivot on axis 39 so as to move panel in the directionof arrow 300. As the panel 85 moves, it compresses spring 38, and movessquare collar 88 and latch 147 in the direction of arrow 300. Collar 88thus becomes disconnected from steering shaft 97, Latch 147 also becomesdisengaged from socket 149 on firewall 301 of the passenger compartment.Latch 147 is pivotably connected to lever 146, which is pivoted to lever145. Lever is welded in two places to panel 85. As firewall 301 becomesdisconnected from panel 85, ratchet 87 holds collar 88 in its disengagedposition to permit forward and upward travel of the passengercompartment.

Referring to FIGS. 14 and 15, there is shown a detailed view of controlpanel 85 having ventilating connections and 161 detachably connected tooutlets 163 and 162. When a collision occurs, connections 160 and 161will be pulled away from outlets 163 and 162 since panel 85 moves awayfrom outlets 163 and 162.

While only a few embodiments of the present invention have been shownand described, it will be understood that many changes and modificationsmay be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

What is claimed is:

1. A safety vehicle for passengers comprising;

a vehicle body,

a passenger compartment for detachable movement on said vehicle body,said compartment including passenger seats and vehicle controls,

safety net means pivotably disposed on the ceiling of said passengercompartment,

means for pivotably mounting one edge of said safety net means aboveeach of the passenger seats, and

cable means for joining the other end of said safety net means to thebody of the vehicle so that during a collision of the vehicle, saidsafety net means becomes pivotably disposed in front of the passengersand restrained in place by said cable means as said passengercompartment moves forward and upward.

2. The vehicle as recited in claim 1, wherein said safety net meanscomprises at least one cushion for disposal in front of the passenger,said cushion including a plurality of apertures.

3. The vehicle as recited in claim 1, wherein said safety net meanscomprises inflatable cushions.

4. The vehicle as recited in claim 1 additionally comprising a collisionlever disposed along the longitudinal dimension of the vehicle andcoupled to the rear and front bumpers, a control panel mounted in thecompartment and release means coupled to said collision lever and saidcontrol panel for releasing said control panel of said passengercompartment from the body of said vehicle upon collision of the vehicle.

5. The vehicle as recited in claim 4, wherein said release meanscomprises an arm pivotably coupled to said collision lever, and engagedto said control panel, a collar mounted on said control panel forcoupling the compartment steering shaft to the vehicle steering shaft, aspring coupled to the vehicle steering shaft for maintaining said collarin an engaged position, a ratchet coupled to said collar so that uponimpact of the vehicle, said arm urges said collar against said spring todisengage the vehicle steering shaft from the compartment steering shaftto permit forward and upward travel of the passenger compartment.

6. The vehicle as recited in claim 4 additionally comprising a fronthammer plate connected to the front end of said collision lever, avertical lever connected to the rear end of said collision lever, a rearhammer plate coupled to the other end of said vertical lever, a firstpair of spring-loaded hammer rods coupled to said front bumpers forengagement with said front hammer plate, and a second pair ofspring-loaded hammer rods coupled to said rear bumpers for engagementwith said rear hammer plates.

7. The vehicle as recited in claim 4 additionally comprising an impactarm coupled to said collision lever, and a block mounted in saidpassenger compartment for engagement to said impact arm so that themovement of said collision lever will urge said passenger compartmentupward and forward.

e vehicle as recited in claim 4 additionally comprising a separationbetween the rear of said passenger compartment from said vehicle body.

9. The vehicle as recited in claim 1, wherein said compartment comprisesrail means mounted on the front portion of said compartment and wheelmeans pivotably mounted on the rear portion thereof, and wherein saidvehicle body comprises track means disposed along its longitudinaldimension and coupled to said rail means and said wheel means so as topermit said compartment to be slidably movable along said track uponcollision of the vehicle.

10. The vehicle as recited in claim 9, wherein said passengercompartment additionally comprises a pair of parallel spaced-apart rackshaving one end pivotably coupled to the rear of said compartment, a pairof pinion gears engaged to each of said racks, and a shaft joining saidpinions and pivotably supported on said vehicle body.

11. The vehicle as recited in claim 1, wherein said cable meanscomprises at least one pair of parallel spaced-apart cables having oneend connected to an edge of said safety net means, a pair of springs forconnecting the other ends of said cables to said vehicle body, and aplurality of pulleys pivotably mounted along the bottom of saidpassenger compartment for slidably receiving and guiding said cablepair.

1. A safety vehicle for passengers comprising; a vehicle body, a passenger compartment for detachable movement on said vehicle body, said compartment including passenger seats and vehicle controls, safety net means pivotably disposed on the ceiling of said passenger compartment, means for pivotably mounting one edge of said safety net means above each of the passenger seats, and cable means for joining the other end of said safety net means to the body of the vehicle so that during a collision of the vehicle, said safety net means becomes pivotably disposed in front of the passengers and restrained in place by said cable means as said passenger compartment moves forward and upward.
 2. The vehicle as recited in claim 1, wherein said safety net means comprises at least one cushion for disposal in front of the passenger, said cushion including a plurality of apertures.
 3. The vehicle as recited in claim 1, wherein said safety net means comprises inflatable cushions.
 4. The vehicle as recited in claim 1 additionally comprising a collision lever disposed along the longitudinal dimension of the vehicle anD coupled to the rear and front bumpers, a control panel mounted in the compartment and release means coupled to said collision lever and said control panel for releasing said control panel of said passenger compartment from the body of said vehicle upon collision of the vehicle.
 5. The vehicle as recited in claim 4, wherein said release means comprises an arm pivotably coupled to said collision lever, and engaged to said control panel, a collar mounted on said control panel for coupling the compartment steering shaft to the vehicle steering shaft, a spring coupled to the vehicle steering shaft for maintaining said collar in an engaged position, a ratchet coupled to said collar so that upon impact of the vehicle, said arm urges said collar against said spring to disengage the vehicle steering shaft from the compartment steering shaft to permit forward and upward travel of the passenger compartment.
 6. The vehicle as recited in claim 4 additionally comprising a front hammer plate connected to the front end of said collision lever, a vertical lever connected to the rear end of said collision lever, a rear hammer plate coupled to the other end of said vertical lever, a first pair of spring-loaded hammer rods coupled to said front bumpers for engagement with said front hammer plate, and a second pair of spring-loaded hammer rods coupled to said rear bumpers for engagement with said rear hammer plates.
 7. The vehicle as recited in claim 4 additionally comprising an impact arm coupled to said collision lever, and a block mounted in said passenger compartment for engagement to said impact arm so that the movement of said collision lever will urge said passenger compartment upward and forward.
 8. The vehicle as recited in claim 4 additionally comprising a separation between the rear of said passenger compartment from said vehicle body.
 9. The vehicle as recited in claim 1, wherein said compartment comprises rail means mounted on the front portion of said compartment and wheel means pivotably mounted on the rear portion thereof, and wherein said vehicle body comprises track means disposed along its longitudinal dimension and coupled to said rail means and said wheel means so as to permit said compartment to be slidably movable along said track upon collision of the vehicle.
 10. The vehicle as recited in claim 9, wherein said passenger compartment additionally comprises a pair of parallel spaced-apart racks having one end pivotably coupled to the rear of said compartment, a pair of pinion gears engaged to each of said racks, and a shaft joining said pinions and pivotably supported on said vehicle body.
 11. The vehicle as recited in claim 1, wherein said cable means comprises at least one pair of parallel spaced-apart cables having one end connected to an edge of said safety net means, a pair of springs for connecting the other ends of said cables to said vehicle body, and a plurality of pulleys pivotably mounted along the bottom of said passenger compartment for slidably receiving and guiding said cable pair. 